FARMING NOTES

Opunake Times, 12 January 1934, Page 4

FARMING NOTES

THE HERD. Summer v. Autumn Shows. If agricultural shows are to be conducted for the benefit of the farming comomuuity it is very obvious that they will have to be held in the autumn mouths, that is in the principle grass growing districts, such as Auckland and Taranaki. With the increasing use of ensilage—an imperative policy it the spring and early summer glass surplus is to be conserved and the pasture maintained in proper order —the keen farmer has no time to exhibit or attend a summer show. When roots and hay were the staple winter diet for dairy cows the farmer had the necessary opportunity but November and December are busy and exacting times with him now. It may be argued that the holding of a summer show in November will gradually force fanners to make their silage earlier and that this would mean more valuable silage, but for some year's at least and in some seasons more than in others, silage will continue to be made in November. And this will immediately followed by haymaking, for the farmer is corning to appreciate the fact that the earlier grass is cut for hay, just as with silage, the better will he the resulting material as a foodstuff. Even at the present time the attendance on the first day of some shows, when the principal live stock classes are judged, is practically confined to the owners. A big attendance must be secureH, therefore, on the second day, and the general public must be attracted. The longer this policy is continued the weaker will the shows become from an educative view point. Not till they are held at a time when the fanner has good opportunity to patronise them will thev present the opportunity of being eveloped as the principal educative event in the life of the farming community. Testing of Pedigree Cattle. Those who are closely studying the breeding ot dairy cattle m other lands are wisely coming to the very delinile conclusion that the 360 day test is a mistake. The inti eduction of (lie 305-day test lor pedigree cattle in this country took a long time to bring about and is still only used by a few breeders. The main reason why the 005-day test should be suppolled to the exclusion of the 365 uay test is that nothing should be allowed to interfere with the trans mitting power of a high-produc-ing cow. Pushing a cow tor a full year's production invariably precludes the possibility of getting a calf once a year. Some cows having remarkable powers of production have never bred again after a sensational test, or have had weak descendants, and yet the greatest value of these cows was their great producing blood, the continuance of which would have been an enormous asset to their breed and the industry. Forcing heifers to make high 365 day records is of course worse than forcing the mature cow to give as much as she possibly can in n year. The dav may come when it will be the average production of a herd rather than sensational performances of a few individual cows that will count, and then we will probably have breeders who will attach importance to their most valuable breeding animals that they will not make the mistake ol taxing them to the limit of their productive capacity. Another Mistake. At the present time the cost of official testing is much greater than it should he, and it is high time it was placed on a basis that will make it less expensive. An impression unfavourable to testing has been created largely by the craze for high records. Breeders have felt the keen edge of competition and in their zeal to beat the other fellow they have disregarded cost altogether, figuring—somewhat loosely—that records make the demand and double the price. The result has been to discourage the men of limited means and make the test a race to he carried on by specialists. Surely the official test was intended to serve the interests ot all breeders, young and old, small and big. The question is not how many phenomenal producing cows but how many profitable producers.and reproducers there are. Nor is it desired that an average shall he compiled from a few great records but from the whole and that every cow tested shall show her value to the herd and to the breed by her abilty to yield a profitably, flow of milk every year and to give as a dividend to the breeder a living calf that will develop into a profitable breeding animal.

Novels which literally sold by the million were penned by the late Charles Garvice whose literary output rivalled that of Edgar Wallace—Garvice was indeed a prolific writer, and frankly acknowledged his indebtedness to tobacco as a source of inspiration. He was a heavy smoker. Before starting to dictate to his typiste he would fill half a dozen pipes with his favourite mixture, arrange them in a row and smoke one after the other. His tobacco was a special blend remarkably free from nicotine, in which respect it resembled our famous New Zealand tobaccos, the nicotine content of which however, is smaller still. The toasting to which the New Zealand tobacco is subjected when manufactured accounts for its popularity. For flavour, fragrance, and all round appeal the four toasted brands, Riverbead Gold, Navy Cut No. 3 /Bulldog), Cavendish and Cut Bing No. 10 (Bullshead), are unrivalled the world over. Absolutely harmless (as the result of toasting) these—the onlv toasted tobaccos—are universal favourites. Their success has brought out, mushroom like, a crop of imitations. Take care when you buv!